TRAVELANDLEISURE.COM 129
house-cured salmon, and some little
cockles to pick at with a pin. From the
menu, we chose red and white prawns,
which arrived expertly grilled. It was
the kind of confident, no-screwup food
I’d happily eat every day. The kind of
place, like Sacha, where you go and
you understand.bells and whistles. Dinner begins with
video-accompanied snacks in the
lounge and proceeds to the circular
wine room, where Rafael, a former
professional bullfighter, wields a
whiplike tool called a venencia to pull
sherry from a cask and offers bites of
toro bravo, the meat of the bull. (It’s
good.) After a course or two inside
Mario’s kitchen, dinner commences in
the gleaming marble-clad dining room
under a cupola painted with exotic
pink-red birds. The best dish harked
back to earlier times: crisp-skinned
cochinillo, or suckling pig, roasted
in a towering iron wood-burning oven,
a replica of the Sandoval family’s old
restaurant in the village of Humanes,
southwest of Madrid. But hours
later, as a miniature carousel with
petit four–bearing unicorns spun to a
halt on our table, I was ready to get off
the merry-go-round.
I preferred our lunch at Vinoteca
Moratín, a sweet and unassuming little
wine bar not far from the Prado. Pedro
Maisterra, an art-dealer acquaintance,
brought us there. “Everything here is
done simply, but it’s made with
intelligence and care,” he said as we
dug into delicate mackerel and slow-
cooked tomatoes with excellent olive
oil. Leek whites, poached in a broth of
their own greens, were served with a
buoyant, spicy romesco sauce, easily
the best I’d ever tasted. The meal was
confident, restrained, and
unmistakably Spanish.
7
THE HAPPINESS
INDEX
Over the course of our week, we found
places that respectfully paid tribute to
the past while embracing invention. A
handsome tavern dating from 1907,
Taberna de la Elisa has recently been
reinvigorated by a new culinary team
keen on reinterpreting Madrileño
favorites. Tripe-and-sausage stew is the
kind of throwback dish that could turn
out leaden. This one sings. The crispy-
chewy confited-then-fried pig’s ears
with peppery mojo sauce and dabs of
aioli is the kind of dish that makes you
mutter strange words to yourself.
In places like O’pazo, we were
reminded that real luxury needn’t be
showy. José Andrés had sent me a six-
word review: “Best seafood. Spanish
style. No screwups.” My wife and I
were greeted with a glass of sherry,The Gastronome’sGuide to MadridWhere to Eat
One of the city’s most celebrated
restaurants, Sacha (esmadrid.
com; entrées $16–$31) is an
eccentric but delightful place
in the Chamartín barrio. Bar
Santurce (barsanturce.com; small
plates $3–$7) is a stand-up spot in
El Rastro market that specializes
in sardines, peppers, and squid.
Order the Gilda pintxo at
Bistronómika (bistro nomika.es;
small plates $7–$28), a seafood
bistro. Arima (arima basque
gastronomy.com; small plates
$3‒$11) is a modern Basque res-
taurant in the Chamberí barrio. In
the Mercado de la Paz, Casa Dani
(casadani.es; entrées $10–$14) is
a café-bar known for its tortilla
española. A forward-thinking take
on a Madrid tavern, Taberna
Pedraza (tabernapedraza.com;
entrées $5–$31) serves a Galician
interpretation of the tortilla. Head
to El Cisne Azul (19 Calle de
Gravina, 34-911-129-080; entrées
$17–$21) for its selection of exotic
mushrooms. The Michelin two-
starred Coque (restaurantecoque.
com; tasting menu $219) promises
equal parts dinner and spectacle.
Vinoteca Moratín (vinoteca
moratin.com; entrées $9‒$17), a
cozy wine bar near the Prado,
excels at light, elegant dishes.
Opened in 1907, Taberna de la Elisa
(eltriciclo.es/la-elisa; entrées
$10–$23) turns out classic recipes
with contemporary twists, thanks
to a new culinary team. Delicately
prepared seafood is the game
at O’pazo (opazo.es; entrées
$8–$30), which dates back to- Arzábal Retiro (arzabal. com;
entrées $16–$30) is famous for its
communal crocks of butter, but
don’t overlook its superlative
menu of snacks and appetizers.
La Tasquería (latasqueria.com;
tasting menu $56) has a no-holds-
barred menu focusing on offal.
Where to Stay
Few hotels have a more enviable
address than the VP Plaza España
Design (plazaespana-hotel.com;
doubles from $177), opened last
year on the Plaza de España—just
steps from the Palacio Real and
the Parque del Oeste and well
connected to other parts of the
city via public transit. For a quieter
atmosphere, stay farther from the
center. In the ritzy Salamanca
district, you’ll find the stately
Heritage Madrid Hotel (heritage
madrid hotel.com; doubles from
$236), a Relais & Châteaux prop-
erty that’s perfectly positioned
for perusing the luxury shops of
Madrid’s “Golden Mile.”Travel Advisor
For help planning a food-focused
trip, turn to Nigel Hack (nigel@
madridandbeyond.com; 34-697-
194-672), a member of the T+L
A-List of the world’s top travel
advisors. He and his team at
Madrid & Beyond (madridand
beyond.com) can organize a
full itinerary or just set up a few
activities—a tapas tour with a
private guide, behind-the-scenes
visits to local food artisans,
or a reservation at a Michelin-
starred restaurant.